This invention relates to heat treating articles. More particularly, it relates to an article which can initially be heated, by one of several conventional electrical resistance heating means, to melt a layer of wax therein and then be aplied to a particular area of the body to treat that area with the heat of fusion of the wax as it resolidifies.
One type of heating pad, cap, blanket, or similar article for body treatment is well known. Generally, such an article is heated by a resistance heating means activated by an electrical cord delivering electrical current from a power source into the article. In using such an article, it is heated to a particular temperature and applied to the body area to be treated, during which time the heating means maintain the desired treatment temperature. The disadvantage of this type of heat treating article is that the electrical heating means must be maintained in operation during the treatment, which may restrict movement of the article or person being treated.
Another type of heat treating article is known which may initially be heated to a desired temperature, then disconnected from the heating means, and thereafter applied to the person's body to provide heat treatment by means of heat retained in the article. U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,161 discloses temperature maintaining devices which employ as a heat retaining material an aqueous composition of a soap, an emulsifying agent, and parrafin. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,437,095 and 3,594,915 disclose head treatment caps utilizing a layer of, generally, a fibrous material for heat retention. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,420,358; 2,453,179; 2,470,833; 2,493,363; 2,919,494; and 3,902,508 disclose head treatment caps utilizing, generally, a silica gel as a heat retaining material. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,257,541; 3,410,985; and 3,485,248 disclose rigid, hair rollers utilizing, generally, wax as a heat retaining material. Other known U.S. state of the art patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,710,882; 2,173,683; 2,178,397; 2,488,793; 2,460,433; 2,783,806; 3,839,621; and 3,869,594.
The heat treating articles of this invention utilize essentially wax as a heat retaining material and utilize conventional electrical heating means for only initially melting the wax, after which the heating means may be removed so that the article and person being treated can move and be moved about freely while the heat of fusion of the wax provides heat treatment.